Call the Midwife's Cyril and Rosalind romance will face hard times ahead

They once again crossed paths at the council office, where Cyril suggested that Rosalind join his volunteering efforts at a homeless shelter.

But judging from the lingering looks and the manner in which Cyril comforts her in a later scene when she's overcome with emotion, it's not just about helping those less fortunate, as confirmed by the cast.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Zephryn Taitte described the romance between the pair as "simmering".

"They fancy each other," he added.

But the actor also teased "hard times ahead".

"I remember speaking to someone on set, and they said they were in an interracial relationship and how hard it was in the '70s," he said. "They could never be open and flirty with each other."

He went on to that the pair "do have a little spat with some people on the streets".

"That's the early stages of it, and I'm sure it's going get harder for them," said Taitte. "And also, Cyril is still married [to Lucille, who is currently living in Jamaica], so you have to deal with that.

"So I'm looking forward to seeing what [creator] Heidi [Thomas] and the rest of the team bring to the table."

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Natalie Quarry said that it's "nice to see Rosalind growing up a bit".

"She's very naive in the first season [she joins]," she added. "And I think that she learns a lot over the whole season about the outside world."

Quarry also said it was "fun to explore sides of our characters that are outside of our midwifery work".

"It's so nice to see bits aside from that, and working with Zeph is lovely," she continued.

But Quarry did caution that it's "still very early days" between Cyril and Rosalind.

"We don't really know what's in store for them… but they will have a lot of trouble [to contend with]."

And they're not the only ones who will face challenges in season 14...

Joyce is subjected to racism while carrying out her midwifery duties, a desperately sad but unsurprising development.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about how her character copes in the face of that trauma, Renee Bailey said: "I feel like it's a lot of her balancing all the cases that she deals with, but also the intersections of being a Black woman from the Caribbean in this country, where she's not always going to be wanted, but still having to be a professional and having to paint on a smile and still go to work every day.

"We all do that in different ways in the workplace anyway, but that is a big thing for her this season as well… the mask that you have to wear as a health professional when you're experiencing or witnessing people experiencing things that you might have experienced yourself … and having to just push it all down and still show up."

Bailey went on to say that because Joyce has "sacrificed so much to be here", such as escaping an abusive marriage, "she's not prepared to lose it", even when confronted by racist attitudes.

"The strength in that, her being like, 'I fought for this and I deserve to be here,' that kind of keeps her together," she added.

In the show's latest season, "it is 1970, the beginning of a new decade in Poplar".

"The start of the series sees the usual routines of clinics and district work plunged into disarray when activists on the Isle of Dogs stage a bid for independence and blockade the only access to the island. Dr Turner and the midwives must try to continue business as usual," reads the official synopsis.

"Nancy tells the team about a new job offer she’s received, and her engagement to Roger. The couple plan on getting married in six months time in Poplar.

"Trixie is back from New York and back in uniform. Sister Julienne discusses her recent meeting with the Board of Health and how they disapprove of the way Nonnatus House operates. She plans to fight back with Trixie at the helm.

"Elsewhere, at the council office, Cyril tells Rosalind he is volunteering at a homeless shelter and suggests she might also put her name down.

"The midwives attend a meeting of the Raise the Roof campaign for fairer nurses' pay, which reveals a 22 per cent pay rise has been agreed. Everyone is amazed.

"Meanwhile, an apparent immaculate conception causes consternation for our midwives."

Call the Midwife season 14 continues on Sunday 12th January at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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